Explosive shell.



e. s. GRIFFIN. EXPLOSIVE SHELL.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28, 19H.

Patentd Au. 20, 1918.

INVENTOR 52%;

ATTORNEY GERALD GORDON GRIFFIN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

EXPLOSIVE SHELL.

Application filed September 28. 1917.

To all whom, it may concern Be it known that 1. (human Gonnon' GRIF- rm. a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Manhattan, in the city. county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Explosive. Shells, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to explosive shells of the class intended to explode near but above the ground, more especially shrapnel shells. in order to be effective such shells must burst at a definite height. but the time fuses provided for this purpose have been to a. large extent unreliable. The present invention aims to insure the explosion of all shells at the desired height. securing this result by the provision of a firing .rod inside a forward projecting casing, the latter containing a suitable filling and compelling the shell to travel with the rod in front. The .iilling may be merely for the purpose of weighting. or it may consist of material or bodies of an explosive or inflammable nature. Other and more detailed features of the invention will become apparent as the specification proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the invention applied to the forward portion of a shell, intermediate portions of the forwardly projecting structure being broken away for economy of space;

Fig. 2 is a crosssection on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4c is a cross-section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section on a smaller scale than Fig. 1, indicating a filling occupying the interior of the cylinder.

The invention is applied to a shell 1, more especially a shell on the order of a shrapnel shell. Instead of having a time fuse, however, the shell is preferably provided with a percussion cap 2 on its forward end. i This percussion cap, the construction of the shell proper, and the particular means whereby the cap causes the explosion of the charge within the shell, are not illustrated, such matters being familiar to those skilled in the art.

Upon the shell and projecting forward therefrom is a cylindrical casing 3, preferably of approximately the diameter of the Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug, 20, 191 8,

Serial No. 193,657.

shell or the bore of the cannon from which it is to be. tired. This cylinder has at its center a longitudinally extending firing rod 4. the function of which is to transmit a mechanical impulse to bring about the explosion of the shell when the forward end of the rod or structure strikes the ground or other object at the conclusion of its flight. The length of the rod and easing are such as to cause. the explosion to take place when the shell is at the predetermined height.

I do not limit myself to the particular means of connecting or uniting the shell and easing; but. have illustrated the shell as provided with a screw-threaded portion 5 toward the front, upon which the rear end of the casing is screwed. Means are provided in the casing for securing the firing rod against relative rearward movement when the combined assemblage is expelled from the gun. Such means may be widely varied, but preferably the front end of the rod is screwed or otherwise fastened to a cap or anchorage 6 secured, as by screwing, in the forward end of the casing. This cap is to be of sutficient strength to prevent undesired or accidental actuation of the firing means of the shell, but sufiiciently Weak to collapse upon impact, thus permitting the rear end of the rod to come into forcible contact with the percussion cap 2. As an additional, or it may be the main, safeguard, another protective cap 7 may be provided. this member being secured to the front of the shell over the percussion cap 2, between the same and the rear end of the rod, which end may normally rest against said rear protective cap if desired. The cap 7, it will be understood, is also adapted to collapse, or to be perforated, when the firing rod is driven rearward by the force of its encounter with the ground.

The rod 4 is preferably supported laterally in a tube 8, which, in turn, is supported from the casing 3 by spider brackets 9, the brackets being secured to the tube and cylinder in any suitable way.

Bulkheads or diaphragms 10 and 11, disposed across the interior of the casing 3 at front and rear, retain the filling or weightin material which may be placed therein. These bulkheads are preferably screwed upon the opposite ends of the tube, for which purpose they may be provided with projections 14, and they may bear against shoulders 12 and 13 on the cap 6 and the interior phragms 10, 11, for the of the casing, respectively. If. the filling be of a liquid character, such as inflammable oil, suitable packing should be prov ded. The filling 15 indicated generally in F 1g. 5, may be earth or other readily available Wei hting material, or it may be a liquld or expTosive as above indicated. I do not,l 1owever, limit myself to filling the entlre interior of the cylinder. Sufliment Weight in the forwardly projecting structure may be secured by placing explosive bodies therein, arranged to be acted upon by the firing rod. A cap 16 is preferably provided over the forward end of the casing 3, to protect the firing rod or other contents after the structure is assembled and upon the. shell. The same cap may be used to protect the forward part of the shell during shipment or han be united by radial screws 17. The bulkhead 10 is next screwed upon the forward end of the tube 8. The forward end of the rod 4 being screwed to the cap 6, it is inserted through the tube, and said cap is screwed into the cylinder 3. The filling or ballast is' then placed in the casing, and the bulkhead 11 applied. The attachment 1s then ready to be screwedupon the shell, and the cap 16 may at this time be placed upon the forward end of the cylinder. upon the cylinder when the complete assemblage is fired from the gun, it also crumples upon contact Withthe earth.

Rings 18 of soft material may be placed upon the outside of the casing, being supported interiorly by the brackets 9 and diapurpose of engaging the rifiing of the barrel from which the missile is projected. Various other features may be incorporated, and numerous changes in form, proportions and manner of assembling and relating the parts, and numerous changes by way of substitution, may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, I do not in all instances limit myself to the use of a per cussion cap, since the firing rod may be arranged to act upon other agencies serving the same'purpose.

What I claim as new 1s: 7 Y 1. The combination with an explosive If this cap remains shell, of a structure extending forward from the body of the shell comprising a cylindrical casing containing a suitable filling, and a firing rod therein.

2. The combination with an explosive shell, of a structure extending forward from the body of the shell comprising a cylindrical casing containing a suitable filling and a firing rod, and means for laterally supporting the firing rod comprising brackets mounted at intervals in the casing.

3. The combination with an explosive shell, of a structure extending forward from the body of the shell comprising a cylindrical caslng containing a suitable filling and a firing rod, a tube immediately surrounding the rod, and means for supporting said tube in the casing.

4. The combination with an explosive shell, of a'structure extending forward from the body of the shell comprising a cylindrical casing containing a suitable filling and a firing rod, and bulkheads closing the casing toward the ends.

5. The combination with an explosive shell, of a structure extending forward from the body of the shell comprising a cylindri cal casing containing a suitable filling and a firing rod, and means anchoring the rod against rearward movement adapted to collapse upon impact.

The combination with an explosive shell, of a structure extending forward from the body of the shell comprising a cylindrical casing containing a suitable filling and a firing rod, and a member secured to the forward part of the casing and holding the rod against rearward movement, said member being adapted to collapse upon impact.

7. The combination with an explosive shell, of a structure extending forward from g the body of the shell comprising a cylindrical casing containing a suitable filling and a firing rod, internal supports atintervals in the casing, and soft bands upon the outside of the casing at the regions of. said internal supports to engage with rifiing.

8. The combination with an explosive shell having a percussion cap at the forward end, of a casing extending forward from the shell, a firing rod therein, and a protective cap interposed between the percussion cap and the rear end of the firing rod.

9. The combination "with an explosive shell having a percussion cap at the forward end, of a casing extending forward from the shell, a firing rod therein, and means for covering the forward end of the casing and the forward end of the shell.

GERALD GORDON GRIFFIN. 

